Assignment:
"Identifying Misleading Information in an Argument" Please respond to the following:
• Consider the following argument: There are many arguments for the elimination or modification of current U. S. drug laws, but one of the most persuasive involves what negative effects drug laws are having on society in comparison with the effects of the drugs themselves. In the past ten years, most forms of drug use have dropped significantly, especially among teens. Despite this, non-violent drug offenders accounted for 21.1 percent of the federal prison population. First time drug offenders serve, on average, a sentence three months longer than kidnappers, nine months longer than burglars, and thirty-three months longer than sex abusers. In 1992, the average cost of keeping an inmate in either state or federal prison was about $20,000 per prisoner per year. The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world, with 455 prisoners per 100,000 population. It is maintaining these prisoners at great expense in an environment where they are unlikely to develop a socially constructive attitude. Perhaps it is time that we reconsider our attitudes toward those who choose to use drugs; failure to do so may cost society even more than it already has.
o Determine whether or not the argument uses any deceptive statistics. Give your opinion on whether or not the argument has persuaded you. Explain why or why not.
o Determine the primary ways in which statistics or authority are used in your current position in developing persuasive arguments, and provide examples of such use.
Please respond to one of the following:
1. Deviance: Deviance is relative, because whether a behavior is considered deviant depends on the circumstances surrounding it.
• What behavior have you seen or experienced that could be considered either deviant or acceptable, based on circumstances?
• When would this behavior be considered acceptable?
• When would it be considered deviant?
2. Neighborhood and Community Characteristics: The social ecology approach emphasizes the view that certain social and physical characteristics of neighborhoods and communities influence the likelihood of committing deviance and crime.
• Imagine that you are in a position as a community leader. There are several neighborhoods in your community with high poverty rates, low-quality housing, and single-parent households.
• What strategies would you propose to address these conditions that are influencing the rates of deviance and crime?
• How would your strategies help strengthen social bonds among people in the community?